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The duties of the Committee in regard to the sanitary supervision of houseboats are safeguarded
by Section 212 of the Essex County Council Act, 1952, which provides inter alia that no
consent shall be given to the mooring of any houseboat within the Port of London without the
previous written consent of the Corporation of London as the Port Health Authority of the Port
of London.
Ben fleet
During the year, the Benfleet Urban District Council, with the concurrence of the Port Health
Authority, granted nineteen 'temporary consents' to boats which were considered fit for human
habitation for the ensuing twelve months. This was three fewer than the previous year. Although
the consent allows for permanent habitation, many of the houseboats are seldom occupied. There
are always problems of refuse and sewage disposal and provision of drinking water supplies for
these craft and it is anticipated that the number will gradually diminish especially in view of the
immediate proximity of a Council refuse tip.
Canvey Island
Ten years ago, there were twenty houseboats in this area, but some were either destroyed or
sevetely damaged in the floods of 1953, while others were displaced to allow for work to be done
in the Creek to prevent a recurrence of the disaster. There remain only six boats which lie at the
seaward end of Smallgains Creek and only one of which is permanently occupied. Canvey Island
Urban District Council have never granted 'temporary consents' and, although the sewage and
drinking water problems are present, the colony has never given rise to anxiety in a general way.
DANGEROUS DRUGS
During the year twenty-six certificates authorising the purchase of scheduled Dangerous
Drugs were issued under the Dangerous Drugs Regulations, 1953, Regulation 13 (2) of which is
as follows
(a) The master of a foreign ship which is in a port in Great Britain shall be authorised to
procure such quantity of drugs and preparations as may be certified by the medical
officer of health of the port health authority within whose jurisdiction the ship is or, in
his absence, by the assistant medical officer of health, to be necessary for the equipment
of the ship until it reaches its home port.
(b) A person who supplies a drug or preparation in accordance with a certificate given under
this paragraph shall retain the certificate and mark it with the date on which the drug or
preparation was supplied and keep it on his premises so as to be at all times available
for inspection.
PIGEON CONTROL
There has been no change in the methods of control during the year, nor has there been any
serious complaint about nuisances arising from fouling or damage by pigeons within the Docks.
Since the responsibility must rest with the owners and/or occupiers of the premises and the
Port Health Authority to safeguard public health, the co-operation of all three is essential and is
obtained. The Port of London Authority engage a private contractor with a license to narcoticise
the birds with approved baits and subsequently destroy them humanely, while the tenants
of industrial premises regularly trap birds and destroy eggs at the localised roosting haunts. The
operations of the contractor are carried out when the docks are not working and the area is quiet,
and although they are not necessarily witnessed by the Port Health Authority, the recorded results
are made available to the Inspectors. The systematic trapping of birds and egg destruction however
is kept under regular surveillance.
Since the introduction of The Food Hygiene (Docks, Carriers, etc.) Regulations, 1960, particular
attention has been paid to the meat transport premises and granaries.
Number of birds trapped 1,049
Number of eggs destroyed 402
Number of birds narcoticised 10,557
\MM\L HEALTH AND WELFARE
At 6 p.m. on 13th May, the Boarding Medical Officer received a message via North Foreland
Radio Station from the Russian ship "Angaresk" due in Gravesend Reach later that evening that
a reindeer aboard was parturient. Not being able to communicate directly with the ship, which was
not fitted with VHF radio, North Foreland Radio Station kindly made contact by Morse telegraphy
in order to determine the ship's requirements. The answer came just as the ship was approaching
Gravesend Reach that the Company's Agents had arranged for a Veterinary Surgeon to attend.
The Boarding Medical Officer was greatly relieved to know that he would not have to act as
midwife to a reindeer, a job for which he felt he was inadequately trained.
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